The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-07-21
A Pretty War Story.

w ueu tue leociaio SoP'uleo sno 'iss'o
town of -, in Mississippi, they took
Judge Strong's house for the headquar-
ters. The old judge was mad. He
decided at once to go into exile.
He borrowed his own carriage and
horses to convey him and his family to
the river bank, where they would take
skiaa.
1t looked a triae ike funeral process.
sion as the women, veiled and weeping,
filed solemnly down the steps and took
their places in the waiting carriage. The
Judge followed them in unsmiliug dignity.
They were going into exile.
Their borrowed driver slammed the
carriage door upon them and mounted to
the box with a solemn "Git up" to his
horses. Some one halted him from the
interior of the house. The hurried step
of spurred boot along the big central
hall, and then, standing there with barred
head before them, was the young officer
upon whose unwilling hands the odium
of this ejectment had been thrust. With
quick military salute to the yelled wo.
men, he turned his troubled eyes upon
the Judge, sitting steruly erect upon the
front seat. He held in one hand bird
cage, in the other basket of blooming
hyaciuths torn up by the roots. He
knew they all hated him, and it vas hard
to say what be wanted just then to say to
them. The hot blood mounted high up
to the white temples that were in such
sharp contrast to his sun burned cheeks.
he stammered out his errand presently
awkwardly enough, II brought these
thinking the ladies might want to set
them out somewhere else," indicating the
hyacintbs "aDd this'-the bird cage.
"supposiDg it had been forgotten"
"Present them to the general in com.
mand with my respect" said the judges
wife in her most patriotic tones, "aud tell
him, if there is anything more We can
surrender for his comfort, we hops he
will not be too modest to indicate it."
ooh, mamma, that is cruel" A girls
veil was thrown back and pair of little
hands were held out for the hyacinths.
at vas good of you to think ofthis. The
bird would be in our way. It's mine. T
give it to you. These I will take, thank
you" Then they were gone, and he had
nothing but memory left, and very
inconvenient piece of army baggage on
hand. But never was bird or beast bet.
ter cared for than the useless little yellow
warbler.
At the end of the war the family
returned. The condition in which they
found the premises was matter of more
amazement to the Strong than it had been
to their neigbbors. There was not one
sign left of the enemy's occupation but
the grassy welts on the lawn and the free
sweep of exposure to the public road,
| which at first was a sore trial to the
nerves of tho whole family. The judge
made it his business at once to begin
sitting the mystery of this unfathered
benefcence to him and his. Alittle bird
| oave him the ripht clue.
They had been settled in the old house
but few days when two enormouns tubs,
each containing thrifty rose.busb, and
glittering gilt CHR sse pagoda ofa birds
cage, containing useles little yellow
warbler, were added to their effects.
These were dumped abruptly down upon
the portico with no message of any sort.
a tag was fastened to each rose bush, on
which was written: Survival of the
6ttest." The bird gave them the clue.
"Why did you do all this for me?" the
Judge asked, sitting face to face with the
new lawyer, whom he bad unearthed as
his benefactor.
II don't know that did do it for you,',
the ex.adjutaut said, his eyes wandering
from force of habit to where the birds
cage had swung and the rose trees had
bloomed behind the little Office.
"For whom then p
"For your daughter-the one that lift.
ed her veil and remembered to be kind
and just to her enemy, even in the sharp
hours of her own misery. God does not
make such woman as that every day,
and some of these days, when the soreness
has worn itself out of her heart and yours,
Imean to ask her to be my wife. Not
yet though, I bide my time"
It is safe to conclude that the soreness
was worn out of everybody's heart before
the day when that strolliug photographer
sprung his camera on the old Strong
house, when the family were all grouped
on the succeed steps, for among the
blurry forms on the steps is the ex.adju.
tant's. He is sitting ruite close to the
Judges youngest daughter, and if you
look ut the picture through maguifying
glass, you can see that her fingers are
claeped in his, though the petals of q
handful of "sunset" roses almost hide
thems